The Convent School and The Franciscan Academy Collection

Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities

Chimes 1967 Front Cover - Image Source

Collection Facts

Extent:

Dates of Original:

1922-1987

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Historical Context

The Convent School/The Franciscan Academy was established by the Sisters of the Third Franciscan Order Syracuse as The St. Anthony Convent School in 1914. At that time, it was the only private Catholic day school exclusively for girls. It also offered a residential option for students, the only private Catholic instance in the history of Syracuse, New York. The school was accredited by the University of New York State Board of Regents and consistently offered secondary grade levels until its closure in 1987, but also offered primary grade levels during the early years. The school was named The Convent School between 1927-1971. School administrators changed it to The Franciscan Academy in 1972 to distance the school from associations with being a training school for nuns. The school closed in 1988 due to significant declining enrollment. The Sisters of the Third Franciscan Order Syracuse has consolidated with three other Franciscan women-religious congregations since 2004, and is now known as the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.

Some yearbooks may include content and autographs that is reflective of what was considered acceptable in society at the time that they were published, and would not be deemed acceptable in contemporary society.

Scope of Collection

The Convent School and The Franciscan Academy Collection includes forty-eight digitized yearbooks documenting the students, faculty, administration, and activities of the school. Yearbooks were not published during the early years of the school, and were not consistent between 1922 and 1945. The decision made long ago by an unknown sister archivist, to include school newsletters and class day issues from 1934 to 1944, may have been an attempt to otherwise document these years. Between 1922 and 1930 and again in 1974, the yearbooks had various names, reflective of changes in the name of the school itself. Researchers exploring this collection will notice distinct changes in the features of the yearbooks over the years, from the old academia traditions and Catholic traditions evident through the early 1960's, to the counterculture of the 1970's and the repositioning attempts of administration in response. All yearbooks and newsletter issues were created by the students and faculty of the school.

Some yearbooks may include content that is reflective of what was considered acceptable in society at the time that they were published, and would not be deemed acceptable in contemporary society.